The sun streamed through the windows of Lakeview high school, casting a warm glow over the bustling hallways. It was two weeks after the encounter with Asmodeus and Izalea, Dante, Luke, William, Pearl, Thalia,and Maru sat in the cafeteria, discussing the battle that had shaken their lives.
"Dude, I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened," Dante said, shaking his head. "Asmodeus, of all people."
"I know, right?" Pearl replied. "I thought for sure we were goners."
Dante smiled, his eyes drifting to Izalea, who blushed slightly. "We made it out, though," he said, his voice low.
Izalea nudged him playfully. "Thanks to you, mostly," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Dante's face grew slightly pink, and he looked away, trying to hide his smile. William and Luke exchanged a knowing glance, grinning.
"I can't believe I missed out on all the action." Luke sighed.
"Next time, don't feign a stomach ache when Charles asks you to look after Dante when he's unconscious."Maru said, a rigid expression on his face.
"So, what's the plan now?" Thalia asked, leaning forward. "Do we just... go back to normal? It's good enough that Charles ordered us to come to school. I love it in the mundane realm."
Pearl shrugged. "I don't know. I feel like we can't just ignore what happened. There are still so many questions."
Izalea nodded in agreement. "We need to figure out what Asmodeus wanted, and what other threats are out there."
Dante nodded, his expression serious. "We'll get to the bottom of it. Together."
As they discussed their plans, Izalea couldn't help but steal glances at Dante, her heart fluttering with affection. Dante, sensing her gaze, smiled softly, his eyes meeting hers in a tender moment.
Their friends noticed, and Thalia leaned over to whisper to Pearl, "I think they're getting cuter by the day."
Pearl giggled, and Izalea's face grew even pinker, but she couldn't help smiling at Dante, who was now looking at his phone, trying to appear nonchalant.
As the group continued their discussion, a new student walked into the cafeteria, looking around nervously. He spotted the group and made his way over, his eyes fixed on Izalea.
"Hey, are you guys... Izalea's group?" he asked, his voice hesitant.
Izalea nodded, curiosity piqued. "Yeah, that's us. What's up?"
The student handed Izalea a small, intricately carved box. "I was told to give this to you. It's from... Charles."
The group's eyes widened as Izalea opened the box, revealing a small, ornate mirale inside. A note was attached to the mirale, written in Charles' distinctive script.
"What does it say?" Dante asked, his eyes scanning the note.
Izalea's eyes scanned the message, her brow furrowing. "Charles wants to meet with us in the Shadowfell realm. He says it's urgent."
Pearl's eyes widened. "The Shadowfell realm? That's not exactly a place you can just walk into after he took our miracles and brought us here without a word. I can still hear Maru's snores through the walls of Dante's house."
"I don't snore!" Maru said, annoyed.
Thalia nodded. "What could he want to meet about? The last time we saw him was two weeks ago, after the battle."
Dante's expression turned thoughtful. "We'll have to be careful. We don't know what's going on in the Shadowfell realm, or what Charles' motives are. That guy is one weird character. He's way too cunning. The possibility that we're going on a deadly mission is high. "
Izalea nodded, her mind racing. "We need to go. We can't ignore Charles' message."
The group nodded in agreement, their faces set with determination. They would return to the Shadowfell realm, ready to face whatever lay ahead.
The new student, who had been watching the exchange with interest, nodded and turned to leave. "I'll let him know you're coming," he said over his shoulder, disappearing into the crowd before anyone could ask him any questions.
The group exchanged uneasy glances, wondering what lay ahead in the Shadowfell realm, and what Charles' true intentions were.
***************************************
The seven Arcane sorcerers were gathered around a large, ornate table, their faces illuminated by the soft glow of candles and electric lights. The air was thick with tension as they discussed the recent defeat of Asmodeus by Dante.
"We can't let him run free," one of the sorcerers, Stephen, said, his voice firm. "He's too powerful. We need to bring him under our control."
Jerome, nodded in agreement. "I concur. Dante's abilities would be a valuable asset to our organization. I mean, he defeated a Greater demon in a straight up fight. We can tame him, make him one of us."
But Brane, shook his head. "I disagree. Dante is not someone to be trifled with. He's already proven himself to be a formidable opponent. Trying to tame him would be a mistake."
Stephen's eyes narrowed. "And what makes you think so, Brane?"
Brane's expression was calm, but his voice held a hint of warning. "Because I've seen Dante in action. He's not just powerful – he's unpredictable. And he's got a heart, a sense of justice that can't be bought or manipulated. You can't tame someone like that."
Jerome snorted. "You're just afraid of him. We can handle the boy. We have the power, the knowledge, and the resources. We can bend him to our will."
Brane's eyes flashed with anger, but he kept his tone even. "I'm not afraid of him. I'm just aware of the risks. And I think we're underestimating the boy at our own peril."
The other sorcerers looked at each other, some nodding in agreement with Jerome and Stephen, while others seemed more uncertain. The debate continued, with Brane's words hanging in the air like a challenge.
As the meeting drew to a close, it was clear that the decision to tame Dante had not been universally accepted. Brane's dissenting voice would not be silenced, and the seeds of discord had been sown.
"What do you think of Eleanor Moon?" Brane asked Claude after the meeting.
"Why do you want to know about the Arcane Weaver?" Claude asked, a frown on his face.
"Almost two months ago, I was having a meeting with the other directors when she barged. That was surprising at first because the Eternal Valley was off the charts to anyone but the directors. What was even more surprising was her aura. I could feel her suppressing it but it still leaked and it was like a wet blanket had been thrown around us.... "
" Let me stop you right there,"he interrupted." I don't want to know how that story ends. You want to know about Eleanor? Follow me then"
He led Brane to the a huge library, it's contents so vast that Brane couldn't see where the books ended.
Claude stretched his hand forward and a book from one of the shelves flew towards his hand.
"Welcome to the Great Solomon Library." Claude said, flipping through the contents of the book.
"That's a lame name."Brane teased.
" I know."Claude took no notice of the joke.
" Here, the intel on Eleanor. She's something else, that woman. Not too evil, but not too good either."Claude gave the book to Brane before disappearing in a bolt of lightning.
Brane read the intel and what he started reading made his eyes widen in shock